Natural play spaces spark creativity, curiosity in children

Thursday

Jun 22, 2017 at 6:30 AM

Nature play areas are designed to give kids experiences similar to what they'd do if they explored woods and fields – as children commonly did generations ago. They're a counterweight to the explosion of digital devices and organized activities.

By Jody FeinbergThe Patriot Ledger

There are no brightly colored swings or slides in these playgrounds. Instead, there’s branches, stumps, stones, and dirt – materials from the natural world in browns and grays. But Sawyer Krause and other children were thoroughly enjoying The Wild Place, a nature play area that was a pioneer when it opened 21 years ago at The Children’s Museum in Easton.

As Krause entered a wisteria covered hideaway made from tree limbs, he remarked, “There are butterflies in here!” and then he crouched down to pick up a bug.

“I like bugs because they eat stuff,” said Krause, 5, of Easton.

Nature play areas are designed to give kids experiences similar to what they’d do if they explored woods and fields – as children commonly did generations ago. They’re a counterweight to the explosion of digital devices and organized activities.

“Nature play areas are fabulously fun and engaging,” said Paula Peterson, executive director of the Children’s Museum in Easton. “They are different than a typical playground, because children are using natural materials they find, and they think, “What can this be? What can I do with this? Being outside in this way stimulates learning and creativity, and it’s a great antidote to the sanitized worlds kids grow up in.”

Since the mid-90s, other nature play areas have been built at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich and at many Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuaries, including one that recently opened at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon. With museum and Mass Audubon memberships, families can visit these play areas as often as they want at no additional cost.

In his autobiography, famed entomologist E.O. Wilson said his passion began at age 9 when he pulled bark off a tree and discovered masses of ants. Whether or not nature exploration inspires career choices, it fosters curiosity, activates senses, and creates feelings of connection, according to child development experts.

“Nature offers unlimited opportunities to engage the mind, body and spirit,” said Diane Thureson, director of the Nature Preschool at South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell. “It has cognitive, gross motor and calming benefits.”

In that preschool, children play outdoors about half the time and use natural objects in indoor play and instruction. Opened 20 years ago, it is modeled on Scandinavian and German forest kindergartens, where children spend nearly the entire day outdoors, regardless of the weather.

In The Wild Place, a pile of tree limbs grabbed the attention of 4-year-olds from Little Peoples College in Fair Haven. As they piled the limbs – nearly their height – they called to their each other.

“We found dinosaur bones! Can someone make a dinosaur with us? We’re going to make one together.”

Nearby, Kamiyah Correia, wearing a blue and red cape, raced across the grass, raising her arms up and down, “I’m a butterfly. I fly all over the place.”

Other kids delighted in the two-story tree house made from branches, set among an oak and maple tree. In a few weeks, a dirt kitchen will be added to The Wild Place, where kids can make pies and other treats from dirt and sand and decorate them with pinecones, needles and stones.

Since children are surrounded by nature at Audubon sanctuaries, nature play areas may seem superfluous, but they’re a valuable addition, said Kris Scopinich, director of education at Mass Audubon.

“If children have not been encouraged to mess around in the natural world, this open-ended play builds a comfort level for both them and their caregivers,” Scopinich said. “We hope children experience a greater connection with the natural world that will continue when they’re not at a sanctuary.”

Partially completed, Cookie’s Garden eventually will be one of the most comprehensive on the South Shore. This spring, children have been climbing up the newly created hill with boulders, running through its tunnel, and jumping from stump to stump. When the final $20,000 of the $75,000 cost is raised, the play area will include a mud kitchen and spaces for weaving, music making and watercolor painting. Smaller, less formal, play areas are at North River Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield and the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton.

“It’s unbelievably exciting,” said Karen Stein, director of Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. “A lot of people come here to hike, and this allows kids to play and to see some of the things they might find when they go out into our property.”

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.